Martin Roberts, 36, followed two women in Swansea city centre and looked up one of their skirts in a busy supermarket. He committed the offences a day after being released from prison on licence for another matter.
Swansea Crown Court heard that on Thursday, July 2, Roberts attended Primark in Swansea city centre and began following a female shopper around the store as she browsed items. The woman became aware of Roberts “constantly staring at her” and felt uneasy. She changed direction into different departments, but he continued his pursuit.
The woman took the escalator to the first floor and saw from her new position that Roberts was “intently looking around for someone” on the ground floor. She stayed on the first floor for 30 minutes, and after checking that Roberts no longer appeared to be in the store, she left and went to Tesco.
Second victim in Tesco
Unbeknownst to the woman, Roberts had already left Primark and also gone to Tesco. There, he began following a second woman. CCTV evidence showed him “following the woman intently,” and in one aisle he approached her closely. Observing that nobody else was in the aisle, he dropped to the floor and looked up her skirt. He then put his hand on his groin and rubbed himself over his clothing.
At that point, his first victim from Primark entered Tesco and recognised Roberts. She saw him staring at the second female with his hand down his shorts. She approached the Tesco security guard and reported what Roberts had done. The security guard observed Roberts staring at the woman with one hand down his shorts as she queued at the checkout.
Arrest and behaviour in custody
The guard approached Roberts, who ran out of the store. Police later found him at Quay House Hostel in The Strand, Swansea, and arrested him. At Swansea Central Police Station, he “stripped out of his clothes” and repeatedly carried out a sex act on himself in full view of the cameras, gesticulating toward them. When asked to stop, he responded: “F*** off, I will do what I want.”
Roberts appeared at Swansea Crown Court via prison video link for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to outraging public decency, exposure, and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Clare Wilks, representing Roberts, said: “He is currently at HMP Oakwood, where he has been for three weeks and has settled in very well. He is looking to engage in a better choices programme and psychiatric programme, and in my submission, it is a positive that he is recognising his offending. There is very little positive mitigation which can be placed for Mr Roberts, but the best mitigation is his guilty pleas. Both victims are distressed by what happened, and giving evidence would have caused them more distress.”
Judge's remarks and sentence
Judge Paul Thomas said: “Your record for offences of a sexual nature is a very disturbing one indeed. There is a persistent failure to comply with notification requirements and orders made against you. In March last year, you were sent to prison for failing to comply with notification requirements and exposure. You were released earlier this month and within a day of being released on licence, you re-offended in a persistent way. On that day, you followed a woman in a store making her feel uncomfortable and concerned. She stayed in Primark for half an hour waiting for you to leave, but you still followed her. You committed these offences in public places, but frankly, that makes it all the more brazen. In custody, you were abusive towards staff and masturbated in full view of cameras. When asked to stop, you told them to f*** off and continued. It seems to me that you are wholly determined to reoffend whatever the courts do to you, and that you are undeterrable.”
Roberts was jailed for three years.
